A Lawyer and A Detective, an unlikely pair of roommates
by jerunico
Summary: Detective Ema Skye is getting tired of the V.I.P treatment in the Khura'in Palace. That's where Apollo Justice comes in. She had helped him out several times before, now it's time for him to repay his debts by allowing her to live together. Just what will happen when these two unlikely pair started to live and bond together? Post-SOJ
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Ace Attorney and its characters are the properties of Capcom.**

* * *

 **June 2, 9:12 PM**

 **Khura'in Palace, Guest room**

"And that's it."

With that, Ema threw the empty bag of Snackoos away. Dejected that she had burned through all of her Snackoo coffers, Ema sighed and sat on the lavish king-sized bed in the very luxurious guest room of the Khura'in palace. It was provided by prosecutor as well as the throne regent - Nahyuta Sadmadhi who, after recognizing Detective Skye's capabilites, seek to assure her stay in Khura'in as comfortable as possible. However, little did the well meaning host knew was that Ema Skye did not feel comfortable at all. Yes, the service was top notch, servants were ready at her beck and call, the food were rich in taste and texture, the guest room was even bigger than the apartment she and Lana shared back in L.A., and that's not even counting the personal bathroom. All in all, it's akin to what one could expect when staying in a famous five star hotel.

Admittedly, Ema was delighted during the first several days, being able to be treated as an V.I.P., but once the novelty wore off, she was already wanting to get out of here and just find a place where she could be herself again. With how Khura'in had been making the international headlines, the previously unknown kingdom - with its exotic culture and breathtaking scenery, had met a sudden tourism boost, thus all available hotels were fully booked, leaving the detective no other options. As an esteemed guest of the royal family, she (under Mr Edgeworth's strict "advice") had to be on her best behavior and be prim and proper at all times, an act she found much more tiring than a strenuous exercise. Not to mention that hardworking servants constantly cleaned and rearranged the guest room, another act their guest hated since she preferred no once touched her stuffs. The only solace she could rely on was those sweet, sugary treats, and since they were not available in Khura'in, Ema had to find a more long term solution.

Sighing again, Ema decided to kill some time with her phone before calling it a day. After leaving a message to Lana as usual, it was then she found the answer to her current problem while browsing the news.

"The Spirit of Justice triumphs again!" Wrote the headline. The news went on to report that in a stunning turnabout, Apollo Justice managed to prove the innocence of his client, who was convicted with an account of homicide by revealing the facts that High Prosecutor Payne disposed away important evidences and threatened witnesses into giving false testimonies. Mr Payne was now stripped off his position and would stand in trial for his crimes against the law. With today's victory as well as continued endorsements by Princess Rayfa Padma Khura'in, Mr Justice could expect a huge increase in potential clients in the future.

Apollo Justice...Ema still remembered the first time they met. She had initially dismissed him and Trucy as kids that were playing around in the park, even his first performance against the fop was not really spectacular. But look at how far he had come since then: from sweating bullets in court, to winning cases on his own, being the first lawyer to participate in the Jurist System, proving Mr Wright's innocence in evidence forgery, had a part in taking down the Dark Age of the Law, defeating Mr Wright in court as well as saving him in the process, finally dethroning the corrupt Queen Ga'ran and abolishing the ridiculous DC Act along the way before establishing a law firm of his own in Khura'in to help those in need and reform the law for the better. Even her hard to impress sister was surprised that the legendary Phoenix Wright was surpassed by his protégé and speculated that he would went on to achieve much more. Now, his list of accomplishment's going to get longer. Grabbing her bag, Ema then made her way out of the palace and to Justice Law Office.

* * *

 **Khura'in Bazaar**

Despite staying in Khura'in for quite some time now, Ema was still surprised at how busy and lively the streets were as it was during the day: kids running around with the maga-something bun in their hands, people loudly haggling over the prices of goods, friends gathering around to watch reruns of the Steel Samurai ripoff, the odd farmer pulling his ever licking yak and the goddamned roaring bird that continued to catch her off guard several times. However, Ema found herself charmed by this tightly knitted community, where everyone seemed to know everyone, considered each other as families and how the locals were so kind and friendly that even how Ema stood out in their land, no one had treated her in a rudely manner.

Soon, the foreign detective found herself standing in front of the famed law office. It seemed strangely lonely when it was not overcrowded with people as it was during the day, where sometimes she had to fight through the foam of Khura'in locals just to hand in important reports to a very hectic Apollo - who despite either working through mountains of paper works or talking to two or more clients at the same time, seemed to perk up whenever Ema arrived. Probably because it's good to see a familiar face or just glad that he got a new evidence. Ema guessed it's probably the latter, since she didn't exactly left the friendliest impression on him. Now that she thought about it, would he actually accept her request?

 _'Calm down, Ema. He's a good guy, don't worry about it.'_ Taking a deep breath, Ema steeled herself and knocked on the wooden door.

"Coming!" A loud voice was heard from within, then the door swung open and there stood a tired but very surprised Apollo Justice.

"Ema? What are you doing here at this time?"

"Way to keep a lady waiting, Justice." _'Way to greet the guy you are asking a huge favor from, Skye.'_

"Seriously Ema, what are you doing here? Are you all right? Do you need help?" He seemed genuinely concerned, which made the sudden visitor felt even worse at how she carried her earlier attitude.

"As a matter of fact, I do. It's-"

"Well then come on in! Let's talk inside."

* * *

 **Justice Law Office, First floor - Office Lounge**

Once they were in Apollo's office, Ema stated the purpose of her visit - she wanted to move in with Apollo. The lawyer was understandably taken aback at this very sudden request and was now deep in thought, his finger resting between his eyes.

"Look, I understand if you don't agree to this, it's just too out of the blue."

"No! No! I don't mind at all. There is an empty room on the second floor, but I'm just worried that you might not like it, it's not exactly as majestic as where the crown resides you know. Besides, we are a boy and girl, living together is just..." Apollo trailed off while fiddled with his hair horns sheepishly.

"What are you? Ten? Grow up already. Ever heard of roommates? I wouldn't come asking to stay here if I don't trust you, right? It's exactly because your place isn't five star material that made me decided to come here."

"Gee, glad to hear you have such a high opinion of my humble abode."

"I didn't meant it in a bad way Apollo! It's just much more comfortable to stay somewhere normal rather than the hoity-toity high class palace. Do you know how tiring it is to act politely all the time so I won't embarrass myself or Mr Edgeworth? Or how frustrating it is to have people keep moving your stuffs even though you told them not to because it's an order from the regent? Or how torturing it is to not having any Snackoos around? Scientifically speaking, no one sho-"

"All right! I get it! Just let me know when you want to move over here."

 _'Well that was easy.'_ "Is tomorrow ok? We can change it to your schedule if you want."

"I'm fine. Can I have your number?"

"My, my, how blunt of you Mr Justice, I'm very flattered. Are you always this straightforward with women?"

"I'm just asking so that it will be easier for us to contact each other since we are living together, so get off your high horse Ms Skye."

"Geez, it's just a joke, you don't need to get so serious about it. There, done. Again, Apollo, thanks a lot for this. I really appreciated it."

"Don't worry about it. See you tomorrow then."

"See you tomorrow."

Once they bid their farewells, Ema, her prayers answered, went back to the palace in high spirits while somewhere in Khura'in, a young lawyer was freaking out that he had to live with a woman for the first time in his life.

* * *

 **What do you guys think? Reviews and criticisms are welcomed! Next chapter coming up! See you all then!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Enjoy!**

* * *

 **June 3, 5:24 PM**

 **Khura'in Police Department**

"I see. I offer my sincerest apologies for being an unsatisfactory host. I pray that the grief that I caused you will be lifted soon."

"You don't need to apologize for anything Prosecutor Sadmadhi! You have been a wonderful host, it's just that I'm a lousy guest."

Prosecutor Sadmadhi maybe a preachy, merciless perfectionist, but at least he could be understanding at times, and the best thing about him was that he's not the fop, which was all that Ema could wished for.

"So you really don't mind that I'm leaving the palace?"

"Of course not, there is nothing to gain from dwelling in the past. What one should do is to let it go, and move on."

Ema swore she had heard something similar before, but that's not important right now.

"I pray that you could find happiness staying with Apollo and he can be a better host than I am."

 _'Geez, he's talking as if we're a couple that is breaking up.'_

"Thank you for being understanding, Prosecutor Sadmadhi. I -uh- pray that you can find the strength to deal with -uhm- your... work?"

"I'm grateful for your prayers, Detective Skye. Now, do you require any assistance in moving your belongings? I can have the servants provide you with all the help you need."

"There's no need for that Prosecutor Sadmadhi, I can do it myself. If there's nothing else, I'll be taking my leave then."

"Holy Mother be with you, detective."

Once she stepped out of the department, Ema made a celebratory fist pump before sending Apollo a message that she's coming over, and she's looking forward to it.

* * *

 **Justice Law Office, Second floor - Living Lounge**

"...now you know where the bathroom is, your room will be over here."

It's not as grand as where she stayed previously, but it's all Ema could hoped for: warm, compact, cozy, and Apollo had definitely tried to make it as clean as possible.

"Wow, you really know how to make a lady feel welcomed."

"Aww shucks, I'm just glad you like it." There he went fiddling with his hair horns again, this time with a slight tint of reddened cheeks.

 _'He's even more flustered than when he was in court...This could be fun.'_

"Well, take your time unpacking, I'm going to get some groceries for dinner."

"I never knew you were a dinner cooking guy."

"Usually, I'm not. But today's special. Something like a housewarming meal."

 _[Stay and unpack]_

 ** _-[Help with the groceries]_**

"Let's go together! It's not like I can't do it later. Besides, since you offered to cook, I might as well choose the ingredients I like."

Upon hearing her words, Apollo made a determined stance, his fists at his side, almost as if he was going to bull rush someone.

"In that case, I won't let you down!" His loud voice boomed.

 _'Can't this guy just recognize a joke and lighten up for once?'_ "All right then Iron Chef, let' go."

* * *

 **Khura'in Bazaar**

Walking beside Apollo in Khura'in was like walking with a famous local celebrity. Every now and then people would approached him for pictures and/or autographs while his previous exonerated clients offered bundle of gifts, which he politely declined. It was justified however, since he, everyone's first lawyer in years, had been working very hard to handle their court cases as well as private investigations, yak milking and various other tasks thanks to a certain princess's continued endorsement. Every hawker gave them a huge discount, some even offered them a few extra stuffs on the house to the point where Ema and Apollo had both of their hands full of goods that could last them for weeks even though they just wanted one meal's worth.

"Looks like we'll be eating in for awhile." Apollo spoke as they made their way back home.

"Thanks to you Mr Hotshot Lawyer. Guess you are enjoying the life of the rich and famous huh? All you need now are star-struck fangirls that screamed your name when they see you and you'll be a bona fide superstar."

"I don't want to be a superstar, nor do I need screaming fangirls. All I ask is for Rayfa to stop her advertisements so I can do my real job in peace."

"Yeah right, speak for yourself. I mean, scientifically speaking, no one should be able to resist th-" It was then Ema saw something that caught her attention so much that it stopped her train of thought and spared a very lucky Apollo from another of her scientific lectures.

It was a brilliantly crafted wooden lotus flower resting in the display of a trinkets shop. No bigger than a palm, the half-blossomed lotus was a shining example of a masterful craftsmanship. Each petal was individually crafted and polished to the point they glistened under the sunlight. Whoever made it had definitely tried to resemble it as the real flower. However, what interested Ema the most was the small crystal orb that was sitting in the middle of the lotus as if it was its grand crown jewel. When viewed from different directions, the orb seemed to change its hue, never the same color twice.

"Uh Ema? Are you ok? You've been staring at the flower thingy for some time now, do you want it?"

"Apollo, this is...a work of a genius!" The forensic detective exclaimed excitedly, the scientist in her bubbled up with enthusiasm.

"I see that you have a good eye, miss." A full bearded old man who was presumably the shopkeeper greeted them. "Doesn't it just captivates one's very soul?...Scientific? What does that mean? All I know that it's as resplendent as Her Mercifulness, as precious as Her Benevolence and as mysterious as Her Holiness. It never ceased to amaze me every time I lay my eyes on it, not even for the last fifty years. I remember my wife even shed tears when presented this for her birthday... My apologies miss, but this is not for sale. This treasure had carried a lot of fond memories of my wife, so much so that I can't bear to part with it lest it tore this old man's soul apart, thus I kept it around, as a reminder and a lucky charm of sorts... Where did I got it? It was from a travelling merchant that passed by our shop a long time ago... I'm sorry, but I don't where the fellow is. It's been so long, he could be anywhere right now... Blessings of the Holy Mother be with you too, miss."

* * *

 **Justice Law Office, Second floor - Living Lounge**

It was a simple dinner - a meat and potato stew eaten together with roasted bread bought from the bazaar, served with a side of stir-fried Khura'in mushrooms and for dessert, scoops of cool chocolate ice-creams. A home cooked meal that Ema enjoyed more than any buttered lobsters or Wagyu steaks that were the usual menu in the palace.

"That was really good, Apollo. I'm impressed." Ema said as she sat on the couch.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll make a good wife someday." Apollo joined his roommate after cleaning the last of the dishes.

"Seriously, I liked it. Did you cooked a lot or something? Because staying in the kitchen just doesn't seemed to suit someone of your... temperament."

"Actually, I did. Orphanages usually don't have private chefs, so I got kitchen duty. Guess I just picked up from there."

Cursing at her big mouth, the flustered detective hastily apologized for her earlier insensitive remark.

"It's ok, I'm fine." Not one to talk about his past, Apollo quickly changed the subject for both his and a very embarrassed Ema's sake. "That's some piece of art at the bazaar huh? You seemed really interested in it."

At the mention of the wooden lotus they saw earlier, Ema's eyes sparkled brightly and her mood immediately perked up, the one she got whenever there's an opportunity to perform forensic tests, the one that Apollo found a bit endearing. It's like a kid getting to play with a new toy for the first time - a relic of the Ema from the past.

"You think it's something too? I have never seen anything like that before in my life! Such professional artistic talent paired with years and years of effort and practice combined with a tremendous amount of patience, not to mention the color-changing orb. You said it was black and yellow, I said it's blue and white. Just how did that work?! Such a bummer the old man's not selling it though. Not that I blame him, if I had it myself, I can just look at it forever and still won't get bored from it."

"Well, everybody needs a hobby."

"Do you still want me to introduce you to my hydro-"

"It-it's just a joke! Calm down Ema! A-anyway, I think the old man was right about one thing though. It is a lucky charm like he said."

"Oh? Why's that?"

"Because he got to meet a beautiful girl today."

Reeling from shock at what Apollo said, Ema looked at her roommate and saw that the lawyer was smiling with his arms crossed, the same one he made whenever he had the upper hand in court. Yet this time his smile was not of a confident one, but more of pride; combined with a hint of concern, as if he himself was unsure of what he said and how she would respond.

"I can't believe you said that." He looked expectant.

"You... are such a dork!"

It was then Ema burst into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. "Did you... did you see the face you made? It's... it's..." The girl could only clutch her sides as laughter had overtaken her.

Apollo, who was at first surprised at her sudden outburst, slowly began to feel a bit merry as well. "Hey come one! I was just trying to... cheer you up! But you... have to..." his laughter rang loudly across the lounge.

" _Because he got to meet a beautiful girl today_. Oh my... my sides!"

Both of them laughed even harder at Ema's ridiculous imitation of Apollo earlier comment. At that time, they had lost themselves to the moment of happiness, leaving behind all of their woes and just enjoyed the blissful experience together. After several minutes, they finally calmed themselves down, both panting for air.

"I haven't laughed like that in years, Apollo. I almost forgot how good it was."

"Yeah, me too, I really needed that. I'm going to get something to drink, want some?"

"Sure, thanks buddy."

As she watched Apollo made his way to the kitchen, Ema thought to herself that out of all people, it was the younger dorky lawyer that made her lost control so hard. Not to mention he actually had the galls to say something so daring like that, even though it was just to cheer her up. Still though, that didn't mean the compliment was not appreciated.

It was just the first day they started living together and Ema was already having a blast. This could really be fun.

* * *

 **The second chapter = done! Next chapter will be coming sometime next week. Also, shoutout to fellow user AceAttorneyFantic, who reminded me that there's another Ace Attorney fanfic with the same title and premise. Huh, what a coincidence. So I'll be changing the title. Anyway, thanks for keeping up with this. See you guys soon!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Have fun!**

* * *

 **July 30, 11:19 AM**

 **Justice Law Offices, Second floor - Ema's room**

Quite some time had passed since Ema had moved in with Apollo. Both of them had settled in after the initial shock of seeing each other in casual setting for the first time: Ema went wide-eyed when she saw Apollo with his hairs ungelled while he blushed at the sight of Ema in T-shirt and shorts.

Yawning loudly, Ema was thinking on how to spend the Sunday. Apollo - ever the early riser - was already out, probably milking yaks while Ema was still sleeping in and had just woken up not so long ago as per her usual routine during off days. After that, she usually conducted her own scientific experiments or simply surfed the Internet, but somehow she's not feeling it today. The still sleepy girl had always wanted to help clean out the place as a way to pay her rent, since Apollo told her to forget about it because the crown had allowed him to live rent, bills and taxes free. A disbelief Ema once asked if it's even possible to do something like that.

"The kingdom had been ruled by spirit channeling queens that possessed otherworldly abilities while the last moments of the deceased can be witnessed by having the Royal Priestess dancing around a pool not to mention the current throne regent wears a sash that magically floats around him. I think exempting one person in the entire kingdom from paying taxes is within the realm of possibility for the crown."

However, Ema believed it's how they repay him after what he had done for them. Besides, it's not like their place needed any cleaning, because despite how busy Apollo usually was, somehow he still managed to find the time to keep the everything in a neat and tidy order - a far cry from Mr Wright's office and to a lesser extent, her own room.

"What do you mean I'm being anal about it? I'm just an organized person. Also, it's a reinforced habit. If I don't pull maid duty back at the agency, it would looked like a hurricane had hit the place. I hope Pearl is not having a hard time now that I'm not there anymore."

Since she had nothing else better to do, after a quick brunch, Ema decided to have her first sightseeing in Khura'in.

* * *

 **Tehm'pul Temple**

Ema had actually been here a few times before, but strictly on official work duties only. This was the first time she came here as a tourist, and she was glad she did. Taking in the scenery, she wondered why she didn't visit the temple earlier - the trees were swaying in harmony with the small paper flags and written prayers when the gentle wind caressed them, while the wind chimes performed twinkling melodies in conjunction with the peaceful chanting prayers of the monks painted a picture that could soothe one's soul. But the real attraction was, of course, the grand temple itself. Standing majestically at the far end of the stairs and among the middle of other smaller temples, it was surely the first thing to greet any visitors' eyes. The pristine pool laying in the front of the temple was an attention grabber as well. When Ema touched the surface of the chilly water lightly, it created a small ripple that slowly became larger and larger until the ripple effect reached the far end of the pool that lasted for quite a while. Ema's curiosity was piqued, and wasted no time in taking notes and pictures of it. As she was inspecting the murals of the temple, Ema overheard a conversation from within one of the praying chambers.

"...-ateful of your help. Do you need anything in return?" An old, raspy voice spoke.

"It's all right, I'm fine," A familiar voice replied clearly, "I'll be taking my leave now, do not hesitate to call me if you needed any help."

"Peace be with you, Mr Justice."

After that, a figure clad in red stepped out of the chambers and came face to face with the totally-not-eavesdropping forensic detective.

"Oh Ema! Fancy meeting you here. Are you taking in the sights?"

"Nah, I'm just here to offer my usual daily prayers."

"With that attitude you might need to pray harder if you want any of your wishes answered."

"What are you doing here?" Not in the mood to trade snarks (as well as unable to think of a comeback), Ema decided to just drop it.

"Well, following your advice, I told the princess she can stop advertising for me, somehow she misunderstood that I'm hinting she's not doing a great job. So apparently I'm an Ace Elderly Caretaker now, among other things."

"Aww, looks like someone has a teenage crush on her dashing hero. I think she is trying to show you she's useful. Isn't that adorable? You may have a fangirl after all, superstar."

"We need to stop watching that soap opera. It's just Rayfa being Rayfa and it's her way of helping out."

 _'Two months, Justice, two months. We've been living together for two months and you still can't recognize a tease.'_

"I'll be heading back now, see you later at home Ema. Have fun!"

 _ **-[Ask Apollo for guide]**_

 _[Continue the tour alone]_

"Hey Apollo, if you don't mind, can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"To be honest, I don't really have a place in mind after this. Since you lived here before, would you kindly be my tour guide and show me around?"

"Um... I don't really mind, but it's been quite a while since I last stayed here, so it might not be the same as it was years ago, are you sure you are still ok with it?"

"Never mind that, it'll be fine with you around, so let's go already!"

* * *

 **Location: Unknown**

"Apollo, are we there yet?"

"We'll be there when we get there, so stop asking and have some patience will ya? It's not like I've been doing a bad job so far right?"

He's right though, she had been having a lot of fun while following him around.

Once the tour at the temple was done, they went biking across the countryside, enjoying the warm sun, cool breeze and the natural scenery. It was also the first time Ema saw a paddy field, and they passed by yards and yards of them during their Tour de Khura'in, where farmers were busily working their farms: some were pulling weeds, some were tiling the soil, some fanned themselves with their straw hats and most of them waved happily to the pair of sightseers, who returned the gesture back to the friendly locals.

Their first stop was a breathtaking field of native Khura'in flowers that stretched as far as their eyes could see. Just like waves on the sea, the flowers moved and swayed when the wind blew, with the occasional butterflies joining their dance. Ema, her first time coming across floras of such unique variety, began taking pictures and collecting samples for her own research.

"I don't think botany is within the field of forensics, Ema."

"A true scientist will always strive for different kinds of knowledge. You got to stop making such narrow-minded assumptions, Mr Justice."

"Apparently being tidy is not a knowledge."

"Hmm? Did you said something?" Ema, fully absorbed at what she was doing, paid only half a quarter of her surroundings.

"Nothing important. Just uh, carry on."

Later, when they were taking a break and snacking on treats bought from the bazaar, Apollo recounted tales of how he, Nahyuta and several other kids used to play, run, roll, frolic and generally had a good time together on this very field. Sometime they even raced against each other and the loser had to wear a crown a flowers. He claimed that he never felt any shame when he was crowned but proudly paraded around the village instead. Ema had her doubts.

Next, Apollo took her to his favorite food shop when he was a kid. Initially he was worried the couple that ran the place had retired, but to his delight it was still open for business and much to his surprise - the shop owners instantly recognized him.

"Long time no see! Welcome back child!" A portly, homely woman in her late-fifties greeted them and embraced Apollo as if he was her long lost son.

"What's with the shock, child? Of course we still remember you! My man and I could never forget the little ball of energy. You would always wolfed down everything as soon as it was served in front of you even if it's piping hot, and could still asked for seconds! We could never be happier. Now you've grown to be such a fine young man, and you even brought your girlfriend along!" Ema jumped a bit at the unexpected comment, but soon laughed together with the motherly woman when they saw how flustered Apollo was trying to explain the situation. "Well what are you waiting for then? Go get her! And you, missy, grab him and don't let him go! Men like him are hard to come by you know? Hoho! Look how red your faces are! I think I have enough fun embarrassing the both of you, so let's get what you came here for!"

After the splendid lunch, Ema, her expectations exceeded, made a mental note of returning there with Apollo next time. For the their last attraction her tour guide was being tight-lipped about it, all he said was that it was a secret.

"Well, here we are."

Returning to the present, Ema saw that they had reached their destination - a spectacular natural lake that could've been a deity's home. Tall, majestic trees with green and golden leaves surrounded the area, while the birds that made their house on them sang their sweet chirping tunes. A calm river ran beneath them before making its way to the lake, creating a small waterfall between the space, which resulted in a constant yet serene splashing noise at where the falling water met the surface of the crystal clear pool. Growths of vines and moss clung on to the various rocks of different sizes around the lake, further giving the place an air of undisturbed natural beauty.

"Sorry it took a while to get here, I actually forgot some of the directions."

"Don't worry about it, it's worth the time. This place is just... wow."

"Why don't we cool ourselves down?"

With that, Apollo took off his shoes and socks, rolled up his trousers, sat beside the lake and dipped his feet in it while Ema followed suit.

"How did you managed to find this place?"

"Not many had been here as far as I know. Nahyuta and I were hunting bugs when we found this place, since then it had been sort of our hangout spot. Once we even brought Dhurke along and he -"

At the mention of his late foster father, Apollo grew gravely silent and stared at this reflection in the water. No one spoke a thing aside from the nature's melodies playing around them.

 ** _-[Talk to him]_**

 _[Keep quiet]_

"Apollo, I'm here for you. You can talk to me if you want."

No response, but Ema empathised perfectly. She herself knew just how difficult it was opening up about something painful.

"Thanks," Apollo spoke up after a while, "I'm fine. It just... took me by surprise, that's all."

"I understand, I'll be here if you need me, don't forget that."

"Heh, I won't. I promise."

With Ema's consolation, Apollo cheered up a bit. It was then she realized he wasn't flashing his usual wide teethy grin, but it was a small and faint smile, one that was grateful for her company. For some reason, she felt somewhat warm, but she quickly shook it off by continuing their earlier conversation now that Apollo's feeling better.

"So, since no one really knows this place beside you two little bug hunters, does that make it a secret base of sorts for you guys?"

"Hmm, sort of. To be honest we never really thought about it that way though."

"You know, girls usually aren't allowed into boys' secret clubs. That is like, one of the most sacred rules."

"If it is, then I don't mind breaking it just for you."

Two months ago if Ema heard the same thing from him she would just laughed and brushed it off as Apollo being Apollo, however, this time her mind drew a total blank and her heart skipped a beat. Thus, a silent "thanks" was what she could muttered softly, still reeling in from shock and... content?

A few more minutes of silence passed by between them, where Apollo closed his eyes and paddled his feet in the water, seemingly enjoying Mother Nature' work around them.

 _'He seemed so... peaceful.'_ It' such a rare sight to see him to simply relax. A thought then came across Ema.

"Hey Apollo, I think I saw some fish in the water. Can you see them?"

"Huh? Fish? I'm not sure if I saw anything."

"Come on, take a closer look. Aren't you supposed to have supersight or something?"

"I still don't see them, are you su-WOAH!" was what Apollo managed to shout when Ema pushed him into the lake.

"I can't believe you fell for that!"

Ema, feeling naughty all of a sudden, clutched her sides and laughed her lungs out.

"Em...! HELP! I can't... swim!"

Apollo trashed wildly in the water, his head bobbing out just enough to scream for help before disappearing in it again.

"Apollo! I'm so sorry! Take my hand, quick!"

Guilt and panic immediately took over her, however since she's not a good swimmer herself and they were the only people around, all Ema could do was to hold out her hand hoped for the best.

'Stupid, stupid, stupid! You should know just how stupid you are, doing something dangerous like that.'

Apollo noticed her outstretched arm and desperately made his way towards her.

'Come on Apollo, please please please make it. Please don't let anything happen, not when I'm starting to -'

It was then Apollo managed to grab her arm and... pulled Ema into the water.

"I-I-I-It's going to be fine! I took swimming lesson as kid! First you -"

But all she saw was the soaked lawyer laughing like a mad man in front of her.

"I can't believe you fell for that!"

Still laughing, Apollo echoed Ema's own words earlier. Then it dawned on the confused girl - the water wasn't even that deep, it just reached below their chest.

"Very funny, wolf crying boy. What if I hit my head against a rock?"

"And you never thought of that when you pushed me in? Besides, as you can see there aren't any sharp rocks around, just some big, smelly, stinkin' bullfrogs."

"Frogs?! Eeek!"

If there was another thing Ema couldn't stand, it would be those amphibious freaks of nature. Once when she was a kid, some friends played a mean prank on her by putting one of those abominations in her bag, which caused a huge sloppy mess in it as well as on her hand when she unknowingly grabbed it. Poor Ema could only ran crying to the kindly homeroom teacher. She had never liked those slimy bastards in the first place, and the horrid experience just fueled her detest towards them. Then, during high school biology, she almost threw up and couldn't stopped herself from shaking when it was time to dissect those Mother Nature's horrible creations and actually passed out as soon as she saw how their legs twitched even when their disgusting body was pried open. When she finally came to and saw a very concerned Lana, the first thing she did was to hug her sister. However, this time, neither Mrs Rogers nor Lana was here, it's just her roommate.

"Um, Ema?"

Opening her eyes, the frightened girl found out she was clinging on to Apollo tightly for dear life. Pulling her head back, she saw just how close their faces were, with only Apollo's long, wet drooping horns between them. Despite being in the cool water, she felt the warmth from earlier was spreading across her whole body and how her cheeks were going to melt, especially when their wet body were pressed against each other. For a while, time seemed to stand still. All Ema heard was the thunderous thumping of her own heart.

'His eyes... they are so...'

"Ema?"

Snapping back to reality, suddenly she realized the distance between them and quickly pushed herself away before turning her back against Apollo.

"Ema, I'm so sorry to scare you like that, it was just a joke. Are you all right?"

Having calmed down a little, Ema knew what she must do now.

"... want you..."

"Huh? Can you say it again? I can't hear you."

She could hear him approaching closer behind, and prepared herself for what she was going to do next.

"I said, I want you... to TAKE THIS!"

Suddenly, Ema turned around and splashed a handful of water to a very surprised Apollo.

"A sneak attack?! That's low! You're going to get it now, Skye! Here comes Justice!"

Apollo countered with an attack of his own. Soon after, the hills were alive with the sound of splashing water accompanied with the laughter of a playful pair while childish insults such as "Dork!", "Nerd!", "Neat freak!", and "Slob!" could be heard occasionally. Later that evening, paddy field farmers were puzzled to see a pair of soaked to the bone cyclists merrily making their way back to the capital.

* * *

 **Justice Law Offices, Second floor - Ema's room**

After taken a bath, eaten their dinner and caught up with the latest episode of their daily soap opera, the roommates bid each other goodnight and retired to their own rooms. Ema was looking up information of the flower samples she collected when her phone beeped. It was a message from Lana.

"It seemed like you had a lot of fun today."

"Sure did :)"

"So, Apollo huh? I knew something's going to happen once you guys started to live together. How did your first date ever went? Tell big sis all about it."

"What do you mean date? We just went sightseeing, that's all."

"Oh really? A guy and a girl having a picnic on a field of flowers seemed like a date to me. How about sharing a meal together during lunch?"

"That's called eating, sis. That's what living beings do to avoid starvation."

"The photos are telling a different story though, all those 'wefies' of you two seemed blissfully sweet."

"This isn't a case Lana, those are just pictures, not some evidence for you to analyse and decrypt some hidden meanings."

"Too bad there's no pictures of you two at the waterfall, but that's just leave so much more to the imagination. Maybe you even had another one of you first ;)"

"Lana!"

"Calm down, you know I'm just teasing."

"Well fyi you can stop :("

"But seriously Ema, did you had fun? With him?"

"Yes, I did." Ema replied without any hesitation, knowing she could be honest with her sister.

"That's all that matters. Got to go now, bye."

"Love you sis, bye."

Lying on her bed, Ema gave their conversation some consideration. She had been enjoying her time with Apollo since she moved here, be it preparing meals, watching campy TV shows together or just simply staying up talking with each other during sleepless nights. Today's event had definitely brought them closer as they walked down his memory lane, not to mention the moment of intimacy they shared back at the lake had made her felt... something. Something that she felt for the first time with a man, something that was a bit scary yet exciting at the same time, something that made her heart thumped so fast it left a booming echo in her ears. Closing her eyes, Ema let her mind drifted off to what could've happened at the pool...

 _'What are you thinking?! Don't let Lana got into you, think scientifically!'_

Shaking her head violently, Ema attempted to distract herself by going back to her own homework, but the thought of a certain hot blooded horn head lawyer continued to linger at the back of her mind.


	4. Chapter 4

**Here's chapter 4, enjoy!**

* * *

 **October 13, 8:33 PM**

 **Justice Law Offices, Second floor - Living Lounge**

"Dude, I told you, this thing cost like ten times of how much I make in a month, and the queen gave it to you - free! Leaving it alone will just be a huge wasted opportunity and to throw her kindness back to her face."

"First, _dudette_ , Amara's not the queen anymore, so get your facts right."

 _'Details, shemetails. That ranked first in your list of priorities?'_

"Second of all, I said it once and I'll say it again: I have no intention of opening it and I am very, very content with just putting it on the shelf."

"Booooooo, you're lame. Can your supersight see where my thumb is pointing? Yeah, it's to the ground, because you're lame."

"Well excuuuuuuuse me detective, for being responsible and not to drink myself and most probably YOU into a drunker stupor with this ten-times-your-salary spirit."

"Look here Mr Responsible," grabbing the glass bottle, Ema continued, "it's a Friday, the night is young, we have no plans and there's a free, ridiculously prized and unopened bottle of booze sitting over here. I'm not saying we should drink ourselves into a 'drun-ken stu-por', but come on man, at least live a little. You can close your mouth, Justice, I know what you're going to say: O _h but I had to be Sir Professional the Uptight so I can get up early next morning to clean the house, do my stupid chord exercise, go through files blahblahblah_. My point is, yes, you are hardworking, but you deserved to have some time to yourself. So, what say you?"

Apollo was deep in thought and as always, his finger resting on his forehead. A moment of silence and a defeated sigh later, he spoke up.

"You know, there's always an angel and a devil standing on your side telling what you should do. In my case, there won't be any angels at all, because the temptress Skye would have gobbled them up and then rode on my back like some personal steed."

"That's a very heartfelt analogy, I'm touched. Why don't we celebrate it with a toast?"

"Fine, if it can get you off my back."

"There you go! That's the _*heh*_ spirit!"

"Oh... no..."

Leaving her friend to continue groaning at the couch, Ema went to get a couple of cups and hummed contently as she poured the drink into them. Then, offering one to Apollo, she began.

"To science, Snackoos, and this very expensive bottle! Oh! To Apollo Justice as well, for finally able to get that stick out of his butt."

"Yay."

With a satisfying _'clink'_ of their cups, the pair of roommates downed its content. Ema didn't actually drank a lot of alcohol in her life, but she did enjoyed the occasional glass of beer and wine, so the spirit did little to affect her. Apollo, on the other hand, scrunched up his face in disgust and shook his head furiously in response to the spirit's very strong taste.

"Don't drink much, I presumed?"

"Gee, I wonder what gave it away?"

"With that height it's no surprise people won't sell you some."

"Wow, a joke about my height. Can you be anymore original?"

The two of them chuckled lightly at the silly banter, then proceeded to talk about their day, complained about work and recalled the dinner back at the palace. It's always nice to have someone else to talk with, especially when it's with Apollo. Because with him, there's no need for any courtesies and they could just let the stinging remarks flew freely between each other, for she knew no matter how strong of a punch she threw, he could always had a snappy comeback ready. So, when Apollo asked the next question, it was too good of an opportunity to pass up on.

"I always wondered about one thing. Nahyuta's not your boss, you can just decline his request and stayed back at L.A. What made you decided to come here?"

"I can answer that, but it's going to cost you another shot."

"... Oh what the heck, it's Friday night. But we're doing this together Ms Skye."

"Very well, I accept... Cheers!"

After the second round, it's time for Ema to hold up the end of her deal.

 _'Hoo boy, this thing's strong. Let's see how much more you can handle, Justice.'_

"Ok... to be honest, coming here wasn't really my first choice. The paid expenses were nice and all, still, it's a foreign place. Lana's fine with what I decide, but what Mr Edgeworth said really gave me something to think about. Did you know he did something similar before? Travelling to other countries to learn their laws helped him to understand its true purpose and what it means to be a prosecutor. He even managed to bail Mr Wright out in the nick of time during one of his most desperate moment. So when he told me this is very great opportunity to learn some new experience, I listened well. Maybe some time in the future I get to help someone out during their most desperate time too."

"Wow, that's... actually quite inspiring."

"Besides," cocking her head aside, Ema let out a condescending smirk, "I need to keep an eye out for some punk to make sure he doesn't get into trouble. Who knows how he can do a good job without my forensic help."

"Yeah, I'm sure the punk is really grateful and probably shed tears of appreciation every night before he goes to sleep."

"Hmph, he better be... All right, now that I answered your question, it's time for you to answer mine."

"Fair enough, shoot."

"Honestly, Apollo, is it frustrating to have so many people asking for your help? Not only are you reforming the law for their sake, almost everyday I see you did other works that are literally outside of a lawyer's job description. Also, thanks to Rayfa, you don't even get paid most of the time. How do you even go on with this?"

"Frustrated? No. Overwhelmed? Maaaaybe quite a bit. Wait... Argh! Why didn't I make you take a shot first?! Haha, I'm such a doofus, hahaha..."

 _'Two cups and you're done? Why am I not surprised that you're such a lightweight?'_

"Whatever, it's too late now. Anyway, the job, or jobs, may be hard, but I did them because I wanted to. These people needed a voice, and this is where my Chords of Steel comes in. It's not like I can just throw in the towel when everyone is depending on me. But I'll be lying if I said I never wished for a longer Sunday or staying in the house with only pajamas on and watch cartoons all day with a bowl of ice-cream in my hand."

 _'Oh you kind, silly workaholic of a man. You're Apollo, not Atlas. You don't need to carry the weight of the world alone.'_

"Well, I don't know about longer Sundays, but how about relaxing with a friend on a Friday night?"

"Sounds nice, still can't beat watching cartoons all day though, but beggars can't be choosers."

"Careful now, Justice. I know that juicy secret of your apparent want for a day of sloth. That's some sweet blackmail material."

"Is that a threat I hear? Because two can play at that game too, you know."

Then, without warning, Apollo slowly leaned forward towards Ema and closed the gap between them, making the startled girl pulled back slightly, her hands propped on the couch to support her half-leaning body. She could see his face was flushed red, the alcohol had clearly taken its effect. He was smiling, and his eyes - they looked... hungry.

"I know your secret too, Ema Skye." He growled deeply. She had never seen this side of him before, and found herself breathing hard as she stared at those hungry eyes of his.

"I knew it for a long time. You... have a cute Steel Samurai plushy, don't you? And you... can't sleep... without it. Ha, haha, haaa..."

Just like that, Apollo slumped down onto the couch like a lifeless rag doll, already fast asleep.

 _'Oh, it's just that.'_ Ema could only let out a sigh of relief and... disappointment? _'What the? Why do I -'_

"... got to... find it.."

Apollo's whispered grumbles reminded Ema of the sleeping man. There's no use waking him now, not in this state. Covering him up with a blanket, she couldn't helped but looked at his peacefully sleeping face.

 _'Huh, he's kinda cute like this... You're an admirable man, Apollo, but putting someone else before yourself all the time is not healthy. You cou-'_

Wait. Disappointment? Cute? Admirable?

...

...

...

 _'So that's what it feels like...'_

Pouring herself one last drink, Ema borrowed one of Apollo's manga on the table, switched off the lights and returned to her room, still trying to get a grasp on her feelings. And maybe if she got drunk enough, she could blame it on the alcohol.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hope you all can enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

 **December 15, 7:42 PM**

 **Justice Law Offices, Second floor - Living Lounge**

For the next couple of months they had been going out together more and more (just on sightseeing tours, mind you) while the food shop had been their must-go spot for eating out.

"Looks like my old place had charmed you two loverbirds! ...Huh? What do you mean you two are still friends? Be a man and make a move already! Can't you see she's being conscious about herself?"

Whether it was just a tease or age old maternal experience, the blunt woman was right - Ema did felt a bit anxious sometimes when they were together alone. She couldn't help but wondered if her hair was messy, got a little selective at what she wore around him or she's been sitting too close to him on the couch while they were at home. Even now as she sat alone watching the TV, she kept thinking if Apollo's all right. After dinner he quickly excused himself back to his room and stayed there ever since.

At first Ema thought he might be feeling a bit under the weather, but she's starting to worry if that's it. He had been curiously quiet and stoic for the past few days, even handling the trials in a more serious and straight laced manner than usual, something that Prosecutor Sadmadhi noticed and had inquired her about it after he suspected his brother gave him false assurance during his own inquisition. She had told the concerned older brother that Apollo was fine, but now she began to doubt herself. She was going to visit his room when the door opened and out came Apollo, who wore a grave expression.

"I'm going out for awhile, don't wait up."

Something was definitely not right. As far as she knew he had never went out at this time before. He was already on his way to the stairs before Ema called out to him.

"Apollo, are you all right? You just don't seemed like yourself these days. I'm worried about you."

"I'm fine. You don't need to worry about anything." She's not convinced, but she's not giving up.

"Hey, have you forgotten what I said? I told you I'll be here if you need me, remember?"

Somehow that caught him by surprise and for a moment, he seemed unsure of what to do.

"Ema, I was... it's just-"

"Apollo, it's me, relax. I'll listen to what you'll say." Ema spoke as she made her way towards him.

"Today... it's the day I lost my best friend one year ago. I'm going out to... I just want some time to remember our time together."

Realizing this was what causing him so much grief all this time, she could only offer her condolences. He seemed to softened up a bit, thanking Ema but still sullen nonetheless.

 _[Let him go alone]_

 ** _-[Offer to go with him]_**

"I know it's none of my business, but do you mind if I go with you?"

"Do you... mean it?"

"Of course I do, silly! You would've know if I lied, so you can trust me."

In an effort to light up her grieving friend, Ema gave him her widest, warmest smile. It was effective, as he smiled weakly in return.

"Thanks, Ema. Let's go then."

* * *

 **Location: Unknown**

No one spoke anything as the two of them passed through the still busy bazaar and on towards Apollo's destination. He was graceful enough to greet anyone that approached them, but only Ema could see the strain behind the jovial mask. Soon, the roar of the lively market slowly faded behind them as they made their way to a wide field, which Ema assumed it's where Apollo wanted to be.

"This seemed like a good spot."

Apollo spoke as he sat on the ground, his eyes gazing up at the stars. Sitting beside him, Ema took a moment to take in the nature around them. The moon was full tonight, brightly illuminating the night sky and the earth beneath, drowning both of them in its light. The young pair was not alone in the moonlit field, as they were joined by the fireflies that further shone the place and danced gaily in accordance to the symphony orchestrated by the chirping crickets. Apollo, hugging his knees, rocked back and forth while still keeping his eyes up at the sky, occasionally smiling to himself as fond memories were recalled.

"Thanks for coming here with me, Ema. I really appreciated it."

"You are the most welcomed, O Spirit of Justice."

Both of them chuckled lightly at Ema's reply, and she was definitely pleased that she could cheer him up, even at least a little.

"So what's the story with this place? Did you two whippersnappers found it by chasing butterflies? Picking flowers? Running away from trouble?"

"Nah, nothing like that, it's just a simple field. We did had a lot of picnics over here though."

"Picnics huh? Sounds fun."

"You haven't had one before? ... No? Well we should come here sometimes, it's a nice place."

"All right then, I'll hold you to that."

Feeling comfortable enough at the atmosphere between them, Ema was now brave enough to ask the question that had been on her mind.

"Hey Apollo, do you think you can tell me about your friend? It's fine if you don't want to."

"It's no problem at all."

Taking a deep breath, he started his tale. The reason he was so close with his dearly departed friend - Clay, was because of their shared past. Both of them knew how it felt to lose a family, and had bonded through this shared fate. When a very disastrous first trial shattered a fresh-out-of-law-school, bright-eyed Apollo's illusion of the law and his idol, Clay was the one that never stopped encouraging and believing in him. If it was not for those much needed support, he might've gave up this line of work, and to an extent, his own dream a long time ago. That was why even until today, one year after his passing, Apollo owed it to him to remember their time together, that's the least he could do for a great friend.

"Don't be so hard on yourself Apollo. There's no 'least' you can do for him. I'm sure he's glad that you are living to fulfill your dream to the fullest, I mean, look at how much you did for these people! That's one amazing way to honor his memory, don't you think?"

"Yeah, you're right... _*sniff*_ "

 _'Wait, is he - ?'_

"Haha, sorry about that," He tried to laugh it off and brushed away the tears, but... "Hah, I think I might need some time..."

He's smiling despite himself, yet with the back of his hand kept wiping the stubborn tears away, Ema knew it was just a mask, and respectfully gave him some moment to mourn.

It wasn't like in the movies or shows, where people would scream and rage at the heavens above. It wasn't even some huge, dramatic scene where they thumped their chests and cried their heart out. Here, it was just a silent sob. He never stopped smiling, and he never let any tears fell down his cheeks. It was just so... him.

Watching her friend, who was so full of life and snark with a determination of steel sobbing silently to himself, Ema just couldn't think of anything to say. Sitting closer to him, she gently reached out and held his other hand, patiently waiting for him to grief for his friend.

A couple of minutes passed before Apollo finally calmed himself down and regained his composure.

"Feeling better?"

"Yeah, sorry you got to see that."

"Nonsense! Scientifically speaking, that's perfectly normal. Don't you know it's quite unhealthy to hold those feelings in by yourself?"

"You're right, I should've known better. It's just... I never liked talking about it, or maybe I'm just scared. Who knows? But talking to you always make me feel at ease, and getting that off my chest really helped a lot. So thank you, Ema. From the bottom of my heart." There he went with the warm smile of his, the one Ema liked so much.

"I told you I'll be here if you need me, and I won't be breaking that promise anytime soon."

"Ema... "

His hazel eyes met her sapphire ones.

Suddenly, every sound seemed to have ceased despite the nightly melody earlier. There was only silence between them as their eyes locked with each other. A wind blew past them, but the gazing pair sat still while the grass swayed and rustled around them. In that moment, the world appeared to be empty except for the young couple.

"Hmm?" _'His face... so close...'_

"Ema... " Apollo began. Her grip became tighter.

"You uh... can let go of my hand now."

"Hmm? ... Oh! You should um, get a handkerchief or something, who knew you could get that sweaty." _'Real smooth, Skye.'_

"Sorry about that, but still... thanks."

Under the bright moon, Ema saw that she was not the only one blushing hard and the other guy quickly turned away while fiddling with his hair horns. The silence returned, but there was an air of awkwardness now instead. It was then Ema realized just how cool the night was. Hugging her body, she berated herself for forgetting her coat when something warm enveloped her - it was Apollo's jacket.

"It's cold out here, don't want you getting sick now!" Apollo said and flashed the dorky teethy grin of his. It's good to see him in high spirits again.

"Thanks, buddy." Warmth returned to her body, and it's not just because of the jacket.

"Don't mention it, you're the one that had to sit through my sob story in this chilly night."

"Heh, now you know just how useful I am. Where would you be without me?"

"Eh, probably having an easier time cleaning our place."

"If you like cleaning that much I can make it look like Mr Wright's office."

"Oh no, please forgive me. Anything but that."

Both of them laughed a little at Apollo's deadpan response. Then, stretching himself, he laid down on the field, resting his head behind his hands.

"Still, truth be told, I really admired you Ema."

"Last I checked, I don't recall you having any of the spirit during dinner, because you can't be sober to say something like that out of the blue."

"Are you trying to be funny, Ms Skye? Because you can do better than that. But seriously, don't get mad at this. I actually read up on your case, the one you and Mr Wright worked on years ago. You were so brave, standing up in court and helping Mr Wright when you were just a student. Even after all the traumatic experience, you still able to pick up the pieces and move on."

"It's not really as easy as you make it out to be though, but at least I had Lana together with me, but you -" Ema quickly covered her mouth when she realized what she was going to say.

"Have no one," yet the smiling Apollo finished it for her, "It's all right, that's all in the past, now I have someone."

"Oh? Who could that lucky person be?"

"You."

Ema's mind gone faint and she swore her heart stopped for a second. Trying hard not to let it go over head, she frantically searched for a response.

"I-It couldn't just be me right? Aren't there someone else?"

"Well, there's the Wrights, Athena, Nahyuta and probably others. But, you will still be at the top of my list."

 _'Apollo...'_

"Thanks." A smiling Ema replied, feeling as giddy as a teenager in -

 _'Wait, am I really ...'_

A few more minutes of silence passed by as a relaxed Apollo resumed his stargazing, while a flustered Ema still tried to collect her thoughts.

"It's getting late now. I'm really glad you're here with me, let's go home."

Standing up, he offered his hand to the still sitting Ema, and she gently took it as if it was the most fragile thing in the world.

"Oooh, such a gentleman."

"It would be my greatest honor to escort you, O Lady Skye."

 _'He's still such a dork, but...'_

"Hey Apollo, can we..." Ema's face flushed red at the thought, unable to finish her sentence.

"Hmm?" Apollo tilted his head curiously, his hair horns drooped accordingly.

"Um, it's nothing. Let's go home."

* * *

 **Justice Law Offices, Second floor - Ema's room**

Even after bidding each other goodnight, Ema was still too excited to go to bed. Apollo, who had always been tight-lipped about his life, opened up to Ema, showing her a side he always kept to himself. Sharing their past together had brought them closer than before and just like last time, all those intense feelings came rushing back during the intimate moment, something that Ema kept replaying in her head when she realized she still had Apollo's jacket, apparently forgotten to return it. Convincing herself that right now, at 9:17 PM, it might be too late and inconvenient to return back to him, so she definitely should hold on to it for some time.

And that's how Ema Skye slept that night - with a smile on her face and hugging the red jacket as if it was some cuddly teddy bear, because for the first time in her life, she had fallen in love, and the man was none other than Apollo Justice.


	6. Chapter 6

**Here's the next chapter! Also, shoutout to fellow user FSOA for correcting my grammar in the previous chapter, thank you! Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

 **June 3, 6:07 PM**

 **Justice Law Offices, First floor - Office Lounge**

It's scary just how quickly the time flew. In the blink of an eye, half a year had passed by. During these times, Detective Ema Skye had etched every moment she spent with Apollo Justice deep into her heart, for she had to grew to see him not as roommate anymore, but something more... intimate. She had cherished the times they went out on excursions (in her head, those were dates), getting a bit more physical with each other (who knew he's that ticklish?) or how talking to each other was the most interesting thing in the world.

She loved the fact that he was so genuinely interested about her day and patiently lent his ears to Ema's complaints so that she could let off some steam while watching him talk was always so adorable as he enthusiastically recalled the day's trials, the quirky clients and witnesses he had to deal with and how glad he was seeing his innocent clients to be so happy when they were acquitted of any false crimes. But what surprised her the most was when he asked for her company to attend Dhurke's memorial service together.

"Are you sure Apollo? Usually only important people are asked to something like that."

"Yeah, that's why I'm asking you. Unless you don't want to, that's fine."

 _'He said I'm important...'_ "Of course not, silly! I'm honored, really. Thank you Apollo, but are you sure you are ok?"

"Don't worry, I'm fine. There won't be any waterworks this time."

"Aww, I kind of missed them though."

"Well, watching how you raid the fridge always make me shed som- HEY!" That's when the tickling started.

Grateful (and over the moon) of how he viewed her as well as a way to get his attention, Ema decided to help out with the chores, even though there was nothing much to do. Dusting his work desk, she recalled the familiar sight of him working hard at examining files and preparing for upcoming trials, occasionally humming Lamiroir's tune to himself. The sight of him taking a nap, all exhausted at the desk was not an unfamiliar sight as well. That poor guy. As she continued her work, the pictures of Jove and Dhurke were resting as their usual spot while sitting beside them was -

 _'Wait, what?! Why does he had it over here?'_

Stunned at what she saw, Ema brought it closer to her face so that she could confirm it was the photo she and Apollo took together with the old shop owners' grandchildren.

It was a few weeks ago. They stopped by at the shop for their usual lunch when a pair of kids - a boy and his little sister, both huge fans of Apollo, ran out and greeted them while their out of breath grandmother caught up from behind. At first Ema thought he would be awkward around children and expected him to turn to her for help, but how wrong she was. To her surprise, Apollo's a natural with the kids. He made them laughed, played all sorts of games together, fed them, entertained them with stories and more. Needless to say, the siblings loved him.

Smiling at the memory, Ema traced the framed picture and took a good look at it. Apollo was making his usual pose - eyes closed with that wide teethy smile on his face and crossing his arms while the boy followed suit despite the lost of a front tooth. Meanwhile, standing beside them were Ema holding the little sister in her arms waving happily at the camera together. Looking at it, one might thought that it's a lovely family portrait, and Ema Skye wished for it wholeheartedly.

 _'We looked just like a family... is that why he had it over here? Does he... felt the same way?'_

Pondering at the thought, Ema let her imagination ran at how their lives would be - not as roommates, but a pair of loving couple...

Then the familiar sound of rattling keys at the front door broke her out of her daydream. Hastily putting the picture back, she picked up the feather duster and resumed her work.

"Oh hey Ema, what'cha doing?"

"Cleaning, if that's not super obvious enough." _'Damn it Ema, that's not going to win you any points with him!'_

"Just trying to make a conversation, lady."

"Then pick a better conversation starter next time, sir." _'You're going to die alone, woman.'_

Apollo was silent. With her back facing him, she had no idea what was going on. She knew the picture and getting caught off guard by his sudden return were what made her this anxious, but that's no excuse for her earlier behavior. That man was just greeting her for goodness sake! Turning to face him properly, Ema was about to apologize when Apollo spoke up.

"Hey Ema, if you're not busy, could you... um, go somewhere with me for a while?"

"Sure, where are we going?" Ema's mood perked up immediately at the thought of going out with Apollo, even if it's probably just having dinner together.

"No where far, let's go then." He replied as he took the keys out from his haversack.

* * *

 **Khura'in Field**

 _'So this is where he wanted to be, are we having a picnic?'_

Ema thought to herself when they arrived at the quiet field, the same one Apollo brought her to mourn for his friend and after that, their favorite picnic spot.

"So, what are we doing here?"

"Ema, do you... know what day is today?" He seemed strangely nervous.

"Sunday?"

"Well, yeah. But... do you know what's special about today?"

"Um, not really. Unless you're talking about the festival, but that's last week."

"No, no, no, it's not that, it's uh...," taking a deep breath, Apollo continued, "Do you know that exactly a year had passed since we started living together?"

"Oh! You mean -"

"Yup, somehow we managed to survive each other for a year."

"Oh you!" Hitting him lightly on the shoulder, Ema gushed that he would remember something like this. "Is that why you took us here?"

"That, and because I wanted to give you this."

Opening his bag, Apollo retrieved a wooden box out of it and handed it to her.

"Here, open it."

When she did, Ema was treated to another sight that stunned her for the second time today - it was the masterfully crafted wooden lotus, complete with its magnificent orb sitting in the middle of the flower, the same one that caught so much of her attention during their very first outing together.

"Apollo, how did you...? I thought the old man's not selling it though!"

"He didn't. But the the guy that sold it to him was much easier to bargain with."

"You... looked for him?"

"Yup, I did had some help though, but it's still not an easy task. In fact I just found him a few days ago. He's not exactly willing to part with it at first, but luckily I was able to talk him out of it."

"Really now? What made him changed his mind?"

"Simple. I told him someone very dear to me liked it a lot, so I wanted her to have it. She's smart, beautiful and has a prickly tongue with a temper to go with it. Still, I find it endearing, and trading snappy remarks or snarking each other are always so fun, because that's how I know we are comfortable with each other. Not to mention her heart for any scientific research, even if it's little trinkets like this, and the passionate way she talks about them are so cute. But most importantly, I wanted her to be happy, to smile and laugh without a care in the world, and I will do anything to make sure she stays that way forever."

"Apollo..."

"Ema, I... I like you."

Ema's heart melted. She had lost count of how many times she played scenarios like this in her mind, but experiencing them in real life was more than she could handle. All she could do was to stand with her mouth open, unable to think of anything to say.

"I know it's too sudden and you are way out of my league but I just wanted to tell you how I feel because I can't bear it any longer and I understand if you don't feel the same way so I hope we can still be fr-"

And that's how Ema and Apollo had their first kiss, with she pulling his tie towards her and pressing her lips against his. Apollo was shocked at first, but soon calmed down enough to enjoy the moment together. For a while, the young pair was content with what was happening, both hoping that everything that happened was not a dream. When they parted, Ema, her grip still on Apollo, spoke up.

"Took you long enough, dummy."

"You - wha - huh?"

"Don't tell me you still don't get it? I liked you too Apollo, like... a lot." Ema confessed as she put the cherished gift away and fixed his tie, an excuse to hide her reddened face from him.

"You felt the same way... about me?" Still too shy to look at him, the blushing girl nodded her head furiously, her fingers never stopped tracing his vest.

"Ema..."

Lifting her chin, the young couple finally met each other's eyes, both thinking the other was the best thing that happened to them, and that gave Apollo the courage needed.

"I'm sorry for making you wait so long. Let me... make it up to you."

Without hesitation, Apollo drew Ema's lips close to his, this time giving her a proper kiss. Ema, couldn't contain her excitement any longer, threw her arms around his neck and proceeded to smother his tongue with her own, fully intending to taste all of him. He was right: she had been waiting for too long. Kissing his lips, playing his tongue, hearing his voice... she's not going to stop until she was satisfied. Only when she finally had her fill that they parted from each other.

"So, Miss Skye, am I being forgiven?" Apollo asked while a big, sly grin crept up on his face.

"Hmm..." With her arms still around him, Ema pulled her head back and deliberately made a big show on making her decision, "Not really."

"What?!" His shocked face and response were what exactly she wanted to see, and for a moment there he looked like he's about to cry. _'You're just too cute! I actually felt a bit guilty for that.'_

"If you really wanted to make it up to me," Pressing her forehead against his, Ema continued, "then promise me you will always be with me."

"I promise you, Ema, no matter what happens, I will never make you wait again, and I'm yours and only yours alone."

With that, Apollo sealed his vow to Ema with a kiss and the new pair of lovers remained in each other's embrace, both enjoying the scenery of the setting sun and not wanting the moment to end.

Finally, Apollo reluctantly broke the silence.

"It's getting late. Shall we go home?"

"Yes, let's go home."

Grasping his hand, Ema could felt his warmth, knowing that this was the hand that would love and protect her, the hand that would never break her heart. As they walked home hand in hand, Ema looked forward to her life with Apollo. This time not as roommates, but as a couple, and just like last year, they were going to have a lot of fun.


	7. Epilogue

**It's the final chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

 **August 19, 8:28 AM**

 **Justice Law Offices, Second floor - Living Lounge**

"Ema! Come on! You're going to be late!"

A certain lawyer's loud voice pierced through the early silence surrounding Justice Law Offices.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming."

Yawning, Ema reluctantly dragged her feet out of their room, each step heavier and slower than the previous one. Unlike Apollo, she did not share his morning person and early riser traits, especially not on a Sunday.

"You know your brother's ridiculous right?" Hugging her busily packing boyfriend from behind, she continued to whine, "I don't care if it's a super important case. Who orders someone to work on their off days?!"

"That's because you're the prettiest, smartest and the most talented forensic detective there is and the case can't be solved without your help." Apollo replied without missing a beat as he put the finishing touches on Ema's lunch.

"You really know how to put that mouth into good use, don't you?"

"It's not really that hard to state the obvious."

"Did I ever told you that you are the best?"

"I don't mind if you say it more."

" _*sigh*_... I don't really need to go, do I?"

"Nope, you had to, because A: that's your job; B: you're getting late; and C," turning around to face Ema, Apollo continued, "here's your breakfast, this is lunch, your bag's on the couch aaaand you're good to go."

"You really are the best, you know that?"

"Just trying to make my girlfriend happy."

Apollo's earnest answer was met with a grateful kiss from Ema.

"I love you Apollo."

"I love you too, Ema. Now go get em', supergirl."

Skipping down the stairs and out of the front door, Ema, her mood lifted and her spirits energized, offered silent gratitude for such a beautiful morning. Then, after one last stretch, she was eager to start the day and ready to take on the world, because as long as she had Apollo Justice, Ema Skye knew she'd be fine.

* * *

 **All done! Thank you all for keeping up with this, hope you all enjoyed it! A sequel is already in the works, so stay tuned for more. As always, reviews and criticisms are welcomed. Thank you again and have a nice day!**


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